5 Ways to Recycle Pizza Boxes

One of the worst parts about ordering pizza is without a doubt the pizza box. While a necessary tool for the easy transportation of a greasy, hot pizza, most people (like myself) are less inclined to walk the few steps to the dumpster outside to dispose of it. It’s often too large for a garbage can, so it winds up sitting on the counter, collecting dust and tempting you to order pizza for the third time in a week.

If you’re one of those people who likes to recycle, you can forget about it with most pizza boxes. Unless your pizza is 100% devoid of grease and its construction is 100% perfect, then your pizza box is likely not recyclable. Although the box itself is recyclable, food and grease, and to a lesser extent adhesives from promotional stickers, tarnish the box to the point where it can’t be properly recycled.

But don’t fret, for pizza boxes have a little bit of life left in them after use, but this all depends entirely on how creative you are. Or bored. Here are 5 ways to recycle a pizza box.

Make a Fort!

If you’re a college student or just a really bored and single young professional, then the hoarding of pizza boxes can be used to make a totally rockin’ pizza box fort. You’re going to want to make sure that you clean all the excess grease and cheese stuck to the bottom and lid of the box using a damp washcloth before you do anything with it, however, lest it start to go bad and gather mold and just generally become a stinky nuisance.

Once the box is clean, you can start gathering your pizza boxes (the more you have, the bigger your fort), and start arranging them into your dream pizza box castle. To ensure it doesn’t fall down, always use the same sized boxes so as to prevent weak areas, and if possible use a bit of wood glue to keep them secure. Once you’re done you no longer have to worry about not being taken seriously anymore, for you will be the King of Pizzatopia.

In the same vein as a pizza box fort, a pizza box chair is the lazy and poor college student’s answer to furniture. While the money spent on the pizza would have been better off being spent on a real piece of furniture, a pizza box chair is a surprisingly comfortable and blocky way to spend your days playing video games rather than studying. It’s also a great conversation starter, as well as a way to convince your parents to buy you furniture when they come to visit. Here’s a hint: Convincing them it’s completely normal to live in destitution while in college is a great way to garner sympathy. Bonus points if you use paper towels to dry yourself off after a shower.

If you have little ones running around your home and want to help encourage their creative sides, you can use pizza boxes of all sizes to create an easel for art projects. Simply fold the pizza box back on itself and support it up with a cut-out piece of cardboard from another box. Then add a whiteboard or a chalkboard to each side, grab some markers and some chalk, and let the little tykes get creative. Of course, you should make sure the box is as clean as possible, otherwise it’s just kind of gross and your kids are playing with trash.

One user at this website created a cheap and fun way to recycle old pizza boxes by turning them into mini-ovens perfect for cooking s’mores. By simply using some aluminum foil and black paper, you’re creating a mini-greenhouse effect inside the pizza box, and after letting it sit out in the hot sun, it can become the perfect temperature for melting chocolate and marshmallows. Make sure it’s hot enough outside, and make sure you follow the directions to a T to ensure that everything is working properly. Otherwise you’re just leaving food outside and that’s never good.

While many pizza places tend to make pizzas so greasy they literally soak through the cardboard pizza box, others often manage to make pizza that’s not greasy or messy enough to completely wreck the box. As such, if you get one of these boxes, all you really need to do is cut away the ruined area. By doing this the box becomes capable of being recycled, and you have just done your part in helping to make the earth a better place to live for future generations.